


CWC - One by One

by samurai_hearts



Series: Clone Wars Chronicles [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Anakin Needs a Hug, Anakin's bad life decisions, Based on 3x17 'Ghosts of Mortis', F/M, I formally apologise to one Obi-Wan Kenobi for all the shit he goes through, Mortis Arc, Obi-Wan also needs a hug, They all need hugs, cameo appearance from Leia Organa, the Council is still stupid, who am I kidding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8119135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samurai_hearts/pseuds/samurai_hearts
Summary: What if Anakin remembers what the Son showed him on Mortis?Anakin's life has been turned upside down by the nightmares that plague him, except he could almost swear they were real. In a universe where Anakin finally gets his shit together, could Palpatine really be defeated?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wow it's been a while since I posted anything! This is a request from MaryLeboneFirst and is an AU based on 3x17, Ghosts of Mortis. It's a rather long fix-it fic about the idea of Anakin remembering what the Son showed him, and it's split into seven parts.  
> (Originally chapter sixteen of Clone Wars Chronicles, 29/07/2016)

_~Part One~_

Anakin shifted easily from one stance to another, letting his movements flow with the Force. He knew that if he wanted, he could go much faster, and become almost blur-like. It was how he usually chose to speed through katas, but right now he preferred to go slower, taking the time to perfect every tiny movement. He could feel himself relaxing as he slid into another stance, his lightsaber cutting through the air with precision.

He didn't normally practice alone, but after the confusing events on Mortis, he felt like time to himself was very much needed. On board _the Dauntless_ , he had found a small, empty hanger and was utilising it to run through several sets of katas.

Anakin had no idea how long he had been in there. It could have been minutes, it could have been days, but engrossed in his forms, and in a sense, his meditation, he had lost all sense of time.

As he finished the final move of the kata with perhaps a little more flair then strictly needed, there was a low cough behind him, attracting his attention. He opened his eyes, letting his surroundings focus around him, and turned.

"I see you've been improving, although Djem So always came naturally to you, did it not?" Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped out from the doorway where it seems he had been stood observing for quite a while, and Anakin had not noticed him, being so caught up in his 'meditation'.

"More naturally than Soresu. I still can't understand why you favour the blasted thing." Anakin grinned, and Obi-Wan smiled back. The argument as to which Form was superior came up frequently, and lately poor Ahsoka was getting caught in the middle as both Jedi were determined to sway her - although she had always favoured Shien, which Anakin counted as a win for him, because Shien and Djem So were both variants on Form V. However, with her shoto she was quickly getting proficient in Jar'Kai which was more to Obi-Wan's strengths – not that Anakin wasn't decent at handling two blades but Obi-Wan was just…better.

Obi-Wan shrugged, "A good defense can be a great offense. I've heard you say that often enough."

"Yeah, to _Ahsoka,_ who I'm trying to stop being reckless."

"Well now you know how I've felt all these years." Anakin groaned, realising this was probably heading in the direction of another famous Obi-Wan lecture.

"Alright, alright. Save the lecture for later will you?" He pulled himself into another stance, preparing to go through another kata. Maybe he'd fly through one of the Soresu ones just to prove he could be defensive, or Obi-Wan would just laugh at his lack of elegance and proceed to lecture Anakin anyway.

Better stick to the Form V.

"Anakin, it is later." Obi-Wan looked at him expectantly. "Do you even know how long you've been in here?"

Startled, Anakin turned on his commlink - he had turned it off earlier for some quiet - and checked the chrono.

"That's not right. I haven't been in here for five hours."

"Nearly six now. You missed the Council's transmission, and probably a lot more." Anakin was only half paying attention as he scrolled through the list of missed transmissions. There were a lot.

"Sorry Obi-Wan. I had a lot on my mind."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I know Anakin - we all do. Come and get some rest, I'm sure you can find some food somewhere. We can talk things over after you've slept." He turned to go, and Anakin suddenly realised he didn't want him to leave.

"Can we talk it through now?" He blurted. Obi-Wan froze, and faced Anakin expectantly. He drew in a sharp breath and deactivated his lightsaber with a hiss. "I… I just… I feel like there's something important I've forgotten about. I'm missing something, something big. One minute, I was talking to the Brother, and then next I was back outside the ship and the Father was leaving. I don't know what happened in between."

Obi-Wan closed the distance between them and looked Anakin straight in the eye. "I wasn't going to tell you, but I shouldn't really keep it from you either. On Mortis, you joined the Brother. I don't know why, and I don't know how the Father turned you back, but…" Obi-Wan faltered, and broke the eye contact, "…you were a Sith, Anakin. You let the Dark side in, and I don't know how you got it out."

A Sith!?

"I…No… That can't be true! I would never have joined him!" Anakin protested. Obi-Wan shook his head sadly.

"You did, Anakin. I don't know what he said to you, or what he showed you, but you blamed the Jedi."

"Blamed them for what?" Anakin fidgeted slightly, feeling uncomfortable with where this was going. He couldn't believe that he had even considered joining the Brother-never mind becoming a Sith.

"You blamed them from stopping the peace, for dragging out this war." Obi-Wan suddenly looked decades older, like this knowledge weighed down on him, and Anakin needed to lighten the load.

"I would never blame them!" It was only a half-truth, he blamed the Jedi for a lot of things but the war was kind of a grey area as far as he was concerned. He grabbed Obi-Wan's shoulders, and looked him straight in the eye. "Obi-Wan, you have to believe me."

"I do, Anakin." There was a glint of sadness in his eyes, and Anakin wondered what Obi-Wan was really feeling, but a moment later it was gone and his face was his usual emotionless mask.

Anakin breathed a small sigh of relief, and decided that maybe he was okay with not knowing. He'd already felt the lure of the Dark side too many times, and he didn't really want to find out what it was that really made him turn.

"C'mon. Did you mention food? I'm starving." He smiled reassuringly at Obi-Wan as he changed the subject, hoping he would bite.

He did. "You're always hungry Anakin. If you weren't, then I'd be worried."

"Aw c'mon Master. Admit it-you're always worried about me. That's why we always go on these missions together, so you can keep an eye on me." Anakin teased.

"Pff." Obi-Wan huffed, "It's you who are too worried. Need I remind you who is the _master_ and who is merely the _knight?_ "

"I knew it!" Anakin gasped with fake betrayal, "You only need me around to save your sorry skin when your perfectly planned mission goes sideways!"

"I... No..." Obi-Wan spluttered, and Anakin laughed. It was a good feeling, and was far better 'meditation' than the hours he'd wasted inside the hanger.

Still, as they headed towards the mess hall locked in a heated debate over whose plans worked better (Anakin's, obviously), he couldn't quite shake the bad feeling shadowing him. Something bad was going to happen, and Anakin didn't know how to stop it.

* * *

Anakin scurried along the vast corridors of _the Dauntless_. They were due to board their shuttle to land on Coruscant any moment now and he couldn't find Obi-Wan anywhere. He still had to be on the ship, of course, but where _exactly_ was still a mystery. Anakin had checked his recently-vacated quarters, the bridge, the mess hall, the hanger, the engine room, the clone's quarters, and the hanger again, and was now just wandering aimlessly as he tried to call Obi-Wan on his commlink for the fifth time.

Sighing, he resigned himself to tracking Obi-Wan's Force-signature, something which they tried to avoid as much as possible because it felt like an invasion of privacy, always knowing where the other was, but right now Anakin was steadily working himself into a knot of worry as to where the kriffing hell Obi-Wan could be.

On instinct, he turned into the medical ward, the strong smell of disinfectant burning into him. Why would Obi-Wan be in here? He hated the medical ward, or anything remotely medical to be fair, and there was no reason for him to be here anyway.

Unless…unless…

Was he injured?

Anakin hadn't noticed any obvious injuries or discomfort when they had returned from Mortis, but then again he had been rather tied up in his own struggles.

What if he had injured Obi-Wan?

Obi-Wan had mentioned that Anakin had gone dark, and from Anakin's vague recollection the only way Obi-Wan could have known that was if he had seen Anakin. Seen him, as a Sith.

Panic bloomed in his chest, and he weaved in and out of the few clones populating the deserted corridors. He felt Obi-Wan's presence as he drew closer and closer.

A door not three steps in front of him opened and Obi-Wan stepped out.

"Anakin! What are you doing here?"

Relief flooded though Anakin, and he folded his arms across his chest, "I could ask you the same thing, _Master."_

Obi-Wan sighed, and began walking back along the way Anakin had come. Anakin joined him, keeping pace easily.

"I had hoped you wouldn't find out." Obi-Wan spoke only when they had left the medical ward, breaking the tempered silence that surrounded the two.

"Find out what? What happened Obi-Wan, were you injured on Mortis? Did I…" Anakin gulped, and spoke softly, "Did I hurt you?"

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan looked shocked that such a thought had even crossed his padawan's mind. "You didn't hurt me, it's not that."

A stab of relief punched through Anakin. He hadn't done it. The relief quickly turned to anger as he realised his former master was essentially admitting he had been hurt.

"Who?" He growled, hate simmering beneath his skin. Oh they would pay, when he got his hands on them.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan stopped walking, and placed his hand on Anakin's arm. "Release your feelings. They aren't going to do anyone any good here."

Sighing, Anakin realised he was right. With a little difficulty, he let go of the anger, letting it dissolve into the Force.

"Better?"

"Better." Anakin confirmed. They resumed walking, and Anakin tried again, "But you were hurt."

"Yes." Obi-Wan admitted. "But it's nothing serious. It just took me by surprise, that's all."

"What took you by surprise?"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan started, before pausing as if unsure as to how to continue, "You are familiar with the use of Force Lightning, are you not?"

"Yes." Anakin replied, slightly confused as to where this was going. There had been no Sith on Mortis. Except…Except…"The Brother."

"Yes." Obi-Wan's step faltered for just a moment, "He used it on me, after I came to find you."

"I…" Anakin stammered, "I was there." Vaguely, he remembered something. "I pushed the speeder into the lava."

"Yes." Obi-Wan was surprised, but continued. "It was just a little stronger than, well, than we're used to I suppose."

"Define 'little stronger'" Anakin retorted. Obi-Wan paused, reluctant to share the full extent of his injuries with Anakin. It had been like this for as long as Anakin could remember – Obi-Wan believed that hiding things would be better for both of them, but really it generally just made things worse.

"I might have had a few tremors." Anakin glared at Obi-Wan, "and perhaps a rather alarming electrical burn on my right side."

"Obi-Wan!" Shocked, Anakin halted in the middle of the corridor. "And you didn't think I should know this?"

"You had enough to worry about already." Obi-Wan shrugged him off, as per normal. "You didn't need to know. I'm fine, I got some bacta pads and a once over by the medic. He says the tremors should fade by the end of the week and the burn is nearly healed."

"That's no excuse." Anakin folded his arms, and sighed. "Look, Obi-Wan, I think this has to stop. Let's make a deal. From now on, we have to tell each other about everything– no matter how small."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow sceptically, "Anakin –"

"Everything." Anakin insisted.

"Fine." Obi-Wan grumbled, "If it makes you feel better."

"I already feel much improved." Anakin joked, "C'mon, we'd better move it. Ahsoka will be wondering where we are."

* * *

_~Part Two~_

Dark.

Anakin wondered where he was. It was so dark, suffocating even. He was encased in something heavy and restricting, his breathing ragged sounding and deafening. Deep colours swirled around him until he realised that he could actually see, through tinted lenses that made his range of sight limited.

It was then that Anakin realised he was standing, and that he was not alone.

An older man stood wearing an unfamiliar-yet-familiar uniform. He must have been close to Palpatine in age, but had none of the kindness of the Chancellor about him. Anakin's fogged brain clocked him instinctively as _threat,_ but something else was telling him _ally._

The other figure was a woman, small in stature. He could not see her face, as she was facing away from him, but there was something familiar about her that Anakin could not place his finger on. She was brash, argumentative – not unlike himself, and her brown hair was oddly enough the same shade as Padme's. Seeing those, Anakin had her down as an _ally,_ even perhaps, a _friend_ , but part of him was classing her as an _enemy,_ a _rebel._

He was beyond confused indeed.

The woman was distressed, and Anakin realised that he was holding her tight, holding her _prisoner._ He wanted to release his grip, to let her go so he could see her face, but he was frozen in place.

There was a low rumble, and what could only be described as an evil smirk danced across the older man's features. They seemed to be watching something outside of a viewport, and Anakin looked too. There was a planet there, one that he didn't quite recognised. He wished Obi-Wan was there. Obi-Wan would know.

A bright flash of green pierced through the dark lenses, and Anakin tracked the beam as it raced towards the planet. Oh, he had a very bad feeling about this indeed.

As the beam hit the planet, there was almost a moment's pause before the darkness of space light up with vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. With an enormous bang, the planet simply blew up. Anakin watched in horror as huge rocks and debris flew away from the explosion's core, the only remnants of the unfortunate planet.

Vaguely, he knew that the older man was speaking again, but he could not listen. The Force was crying out to him, sobbing for all those lives that had just perished before him, and he had done nothing to stop it. The grief racked through him, tumbling all his emotions and thoughts together. His chest tightened and tightened until he could breathe no longer, and somehow he found he could feel any of his limbs either, for they were numb.

His world exploded into searing pain and he screamed silently, his mouth wide open and yet no sound came out.

"Anakin!"

He tried to look around, see who was calling to him, but he couldn't move, locked as he was in this immobile coffin with the Force screaming and dying around him.

"Anakin! Wake up!"

Was that Obi-Wan? Why did he want Anakin to wake up? Surely he was already awake, living this nightmare that threatened to wipe his sanity from existence. Maybe he would go to sleep instead, and escape this hell he had somehow stumbled into.

"Please Anakin! Wake up!"

 _"I'm sorry Obi-Wan,"_ Anakin half muttered to himself as he fell gratefully into the deep oblivion of unconsciousness.

* * *

Anakin groaned, and his eyes slid open slowly, not wanting to be confronted with the dreaded claustrophobia of the darkness. He was pleasantly surprised to find he was elsewhere, back in his room at the Temple. Had it all just been one really bad dream?

It took him a moment to realise that there were two worried faces hovering over him. He blinked several times and they swam into focus.

"Obi-Wan?" He croaked, his throat alarmingly dry. "Ahsoka?"

Sighs of relief echoed around him as they both visibly relaxed, although he could still see the strained lines of tension that furrowed Obi-Wan's brow.

"Wh-" Anakin spluttered, his dry throat rough and scratchy. Wordlessly, Ahsoka handed him a glass of water which he drank quickly, grateful she had thought of it. He tried again, "What happened?"

He would have been a fool to miss the quick glance between Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, the silent communication between them. It was Obi-Wan who finally spoke.

"You had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Anakin scoffed, smiling weakly, "Is that all?"

"No." Obi-Wan shook his head, "You don't understand Anakin – this was bad. Ahsoka called me because _you wouldn't wake up."_

Anakin realised that Obi-Wan – the perfect picture of grace and elegance - was half dressed, his tunic thrown on over his sleep-clothes, boots hurriedly yanked on, and his hair was a tousled mess.

"Oh," was Anakin's only reply. He turned to Ahsoka, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I'm fine, I promise."

She looked at him skeptically, not really believing what he was saying, but understanding the meaning behind the words.

"Ahsoka, why don't you go back to bed?" Obi-Wan suggested, "I'll make sure Anakin's okay before heading back."

"Okay." Ahsoka agreed, only slightly reluctantly. Anakin could grasp at just how scared she had been, for normally that sort of suggestion would have result in _at least_ a five minute long argument over her being entitled to hear their conversation. Instead, she bid the two of them goodnight and left silently.

Obi-Wan sighed and massaged his temples. Anakin knew from experience that that meant he had a headache – not surprising given the early hour.

"Anakin, do you have any idea how bad that was?"

"Uh," Anakin stumbled, unsure. "No?"

"Oh _Force_." Obi-Wan muttered. "Anakin, Ahsoka called me because she could feel the _terror_ coming from you through the Force, and so could I. I've never felt anything quite like it before. When I got here, you were in agony, writhing with some sort of seizure whilst your padawan tried to hold you still. It took both of us to do that and even then you still wouldn't stop. I wouldn't put it past you to have woken half the Temple with what you were projecting through the Force, so please Anakin, what was going on?"

He hadn't realised it had been that bad.

Fierfek.

"I'm sorry Obi-Wan. I don't remember much." It was mostly true, he didn't really remember much, but he also didn't really want to talk about it. Especially not here, in the middle of the night, with his padawan listening next door. (Oh, he knew all about that.)

"Anakin," Obi-Wan started, "You're a good person because you always stick to your promises – correct?"

"Yeees?" Anakin ventured. He always tried, at least, to keep his word, although he did tend to bend things as much as he could to get away with, well, everything.

"Then you remember that promise we made – or rather you made- last week. On _the Dauntless_. The one where we promised to tell each other _everything._ "

Somehow, Anakin had known that was going to come back and bite him.

"Fine." He mumbled. "All I remember is…" He trailed off, the screams that had rang in the Force echoing in his mind, "is…a planet. And it exploded."

"Anakin, it's impossible for a planet to just blow up."

"It didn't just blow up Obi-Wan. There was a beam, an energy beam I think. It hit the planet, and there was a huge explosion." He could have stopped it if he tried, but he didn't think Obi-Wan needed to know that.

"Well that's interesting." Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully, "Do you think it could be a Separatist weapon?"

Force, Anakin hadn't even though of that. It made more sense than the far-into-the-future vibe he had been getting. Was the Force sending him a vision, warning him of what was going to happen?

"I don't know. But that makes the most sense," Anakin finally admitted. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.

"If this was really a vision, then we should tell the Council about it. We'll need to be prepared."

"No!" Anakin spoke sharply, then corrected himself, "I don't know if it was a vision. It could just be a really bad dream."

Obi-Wan looked uncertain, "You've had visions before though, although not as violent as this."

"Please Obi-Wan. I don't want to tell the Council until I'm sure."

He could see Obi-Wan visibly wavering, torn between telling the Council and supporting his former padawan. "Alright. But don't take too long about it. The sooner we know, the better."

Anakin breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you." Impulsively, he pulled Obi-Wan into a hug, something which he had not done for a very long time. He felt Obi-Wan stiffen, before relaxing slightly and patting him a few times on the back.

"Try and get some sleep Anakin. You'll need it."

"Of course." Anakin agreed as Obi-Wan stood to leave. He knew very well that there was _no chance_ of him getting anymore sleep tonight, and from the looks of it, Obi-Wan wasn't going to either.

He groaned again as the door to his room slid shut behind Obi-Wan. What did it all mean? He shook his head, trying to rid the thoughts. Rising out of bed, he grabbed a few of the things of was working on and some tools, and set to working, using the intricate mechanics as a way of distracting himself.

No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't shake that claustrophobic feeling.

* * *

_~Part Three~_

The Force was screaming.

It howled in agony as death after death fuelled the Darkness. It roared at Anakin, pleading, _begging_ for him to stop. He tried, planting his feet and yanking back with as much power as he could, but it made no difference. He ploughed on regardless, marching with a dark purpose towards his destination.

His surroundings were a blur; the overwhelming pain of the Force crashed and rolled around him like stormy waves, relentless and unforgiving.

He arrived somewhere, pausing outside an all too familiar door. The Council Chamber. He could feel the doubt swirling inside of him as he fought against this strange Darkness. Could he really do it?

Anakin dreaded to know what 'it' was.

Finally, it seemed the mysterious Darkness made the choice for him and he stepped forward, the door sliding open easily. As he walked inside, he could feel the Lightness that hovered there, burning with innocence.

From where they had been hidden behind the chairs, a small group of younglings appeared, heads popping over the top to see who had entered - friend or foe.

"Master Skywalker!" One called, a young boy who reminded Anakin of himself so much, the sandy hair, the need to prove himself festering inside. "There are too many of them! What are we going to do?"

Too many of who? Was the Temple being overrun? It certainly explained why the younglings would be hiding, but not this Darkness that Anakin realised was controlling him. How could he have been so stupid as to let it in? He knew the consequences of touching the Dark, as his last visit to Tatooine had proved, but he somehow had realised that this could still happen, the Darkness still gathered inside of him.

His eyes narrowed, and to his horror he found his hand moving of its own accord, igniting his lightsaber with a hiss. The younglings stepped back, terrified, as he raised his saber. The Force cried at him, and he tried - he tried he tried he _tried_ to stop the humming blade as it swung closer and closer and closer to the petrified youngling, frozen in place by fear.

Fear leads to the Darkside.

Anakin screamed.

* * *

"Sir! _Sir!"_

Dimly, Anakin became aware of a pair of hands shaking his shoulders violently. Eyes snapping open, he swung his arm around in an arc, trying to knock whoever it was away from him.

He froze mid swing, pieces from his nightmare flitting back to him.

Wide-eyed with shock, he focused on the figure above him and was relieved to see a familiar face in white and blue armour.

"Rex?" He croaked, his voice ragged.

"Sorry Sir," Rex looked embarrassed, "I didn't mean to intrude. It's just, well, you were scaring the men."

"Urrgh." Anakin groaned, propping himself upright. "It's alright Rex, don't worry about it."

Rex only nodded, stood, and made to leave. "Uh, General? I just thought, uh, you should know, there's nothing to be ashamed of. We all have 'em."

"Thanks." Anakin murmured, not completely reassured by the thought. Sure, most clones had frequent nightmares, but these dreams…

They felt more like visions.

And Anakin's visions were always right.

* * *

"Anakin, I really think you should tell Master Yoda about these visions."

Anakin sighed. As per their agreement, he had called Obi-Wan the moment he felt ready. Well, he still didn't quite feel ready, but he'd managed to make it past the hyperventilating stage. Because really, what else could anyone do if he was really going to go Dark?

"You know how I feel about this Obi-Wan," Anakin warned. It wasn't that he hated Yoda, but the little troll could be extremely annoying. Especially when he spoke in riddles. There was no way he was going to him for help.

"Yes, Anakin. It's only the hundredth time or so you've told me," Obi-Wan complained. Credit to him, he had listened to Anakin's recollection without interrupting, and somehow Anakin had told Obi-Wan everything. He hadn't meant to, but he somehow felt a lot _better_ now, having shared his problems.

"Look, Obi-Wan, the only reason I've told you anything is because of our agreement that you pulled out on me last time. And also because if I didn't, then Rex would have told you and you would have been even more worried. Okay?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "I know, Anakin, but its better you shared this with me then bottled it up. You seem a lot calmer then you were before, and a problem shared is a problem halved."

"Yeah," Anakin muttered, not completely in agreement.

"We'll talk more once we're back on Coruscant, Anakin. That's a promise, alright?"

"Alright, Obi-Wan."

There was a small pause, and then, "I'm proud of you, Anakin. You didn't want to talk about this, but you did. We'll figure it out."

"Is that a promise too, Master?" Anakin quipped, smiling slightly.

"Of course." Obi-Wan replied, his warm smile reassuring Anakin.

Everything was going to be fine.

Or so he thought.

* * *

_~Part Four~_

The world is harsh.

It's full of reds, oranges and yellows. Black clouds of smoke dance menacingly, twisting and twirling around them. It's hot, not unbearably hot, not for him, but for others. To him, it is a little discomfort.

Anakin is not alone.

Padme. He can't take his eyes off her, drinking in every little detail. She seems different somehow – he's seen her angry and upset before, but not like this.

She looked heartbroken.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," Padme cried, "Obi-Wan was right. You have changed."

The anger Anakin felt simmering suddenly blew up with frightening power.

"I don't wanna hear any more about Obi-Wan!" He growled, "The Jedi turned against me, don't you turn against me!"

When did the Jedi turn against him? What had he done, to be on the receiving end of their hate? Oh, the Jedi may pretend they don't feel anger or hatred, but it's there. They are just accomplished at hiding it. He's always felt their doubts, their worries about him, about the _Chosen One._ He was hated by his age-mates for the title, and every day he wished it hadn't been him. Sometimes, he thinks he would have preferred staying on Tatooine with his mother to being with the Jedi. Sometimes...

"I don't know you anymore!" Padme backed away from him slowly, head shaking in protest to what he had done. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow."

Something inside Anakin broke. He wanted nothing more than to sweep his wife off her feet in a hug, and reassure her that everything was going to be fine, that he wouldn't leave her. He wouldn't go down this path, he _wouldn't._

He looked up, sensing movement. Obi-Wan. He wanted to race over, ask him what was wrong, what he had done that was so terrible everyone he knew was leaving him. The Jedi. Padme. Was Obi-Wan going to be next?

"Because of Obi-Wan?" He spat. Padme looked shocked.

"Because of what you've done, what you _plan_ to do." Tears started to trickle down her face, and Anakin could feel the emotion surging from her, could feel the raw _pain_ that _he_ had caused.

He couldn't stand it. There was too much anger building up inside him, and he started to pace, keeping an eye on Obi-Wan all the time, like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Stop! Stop now!" Padme pleaded. "Come back!" She paused, and her next words were barely above a whisper, "I love you."

"Liar!" Anakin roared. Padme stepped back hurriedly, _afraid_ of this monster he had become. She turned, and for the first time she saw Obi-Wan.

"No!" She turned quickly between the two of them, as Obi-Wan began to stride towards them.

"You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!" Oh Force no. What had he done that was so _unforgivable_ that even _Obi-Wan_ was against him? Anakin suddenly remembered the last 'dream' he had, remembered the _Darkness_ that had raged inside him.

Oh no.

His hand went up, and he squeezed.

"No!" Padme choked, but he kept squeezing and squeezing, tightening the Force around her neck. She was lifted off the ground, hands at her throat as she tried to get air into her lungs, as she tried to _live._

He was _hurting_ her.

And somehow, he didn't care.

* * *

"Ana…Ani…"

Anakin opened his eyes.

Padme lay beneath him, her eyes wide in fear, and her hands pulled at his hands.

His hands that were _wrapped_ around her _throat._

He let go, scared. What had he just done? He was _strangling_ her, his wife, his _Padme._

What was he becoming?

"Anakin," Padme gasped, but he was unable to look at her. He couldn't, he just _couldn't._ Not after what he had done.

He scrambled backwards, desperate to get away before he could cause any more harm. In his hurry, he didn't stop in time and fell backwards off the bed. Without stopping, he picked himself up off the floor and raced into the refresher, locking the door behind him.

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and General of the Grand Army of the Republic sank down with his back to the door, and started to cry.

* * *

She could still feel his fingers where they had tightened around her neck. Gently, she felt the skin, and winced. It was tender, and she was certain that it would bruise.

Not that that worried her. Right now, her priority was her very scary and equally scared husband who had locked himself in the fresher. Carefully, she slid out of bed, and crouched down beside the door.

"Anakin? Can you hear me? I'm okay, just please, open the door. Please Anakin."

There was no reply except the muffled sound of sobs.

Her heart broke for him. She didn't know the full story but he had admitted he had had some nightmares, but that that was all they were. Nightmares. She wasn't so sure anymore, as his reactions bore an uncanny resemblance to when he was having the visions of his mother's death.

She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was seeing, if he had tried to strangle her.

Sighing, she knew that she was going to need back-up, and unfortunately, her back-up did not know about their marriage.

Padme was pretty sure this counted as an emergency.

Silently, apologising to Anakin, she grabbed her commlink from the small table beside the bed and called the one person who could help.

"Master Obi-Wan? I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I need your help. It's Anakin."

* * *

"Oh thank goodness you're here."

Almost exactly ten minutes after she had called Obi-Wan, he showed up at her apartment having raced at Anakin-like speeds through the Coruscant traffic (which was just as heavy as always despite being two am).

"Where is he?" Obi-Wan inquired as he pulled off the cloak he was wearing to disguise the fact that he – like Padme – was still in his sleep clothes.

"Through here." Padme lead him to her bedroom, _their_ bedroom, and waved him towards the refresher door. Thinking it would be a good idea to give them a few moments alone, she left Obi-Wan crouched by the door and made her way to the kitchen.

Quickly, she powered up C-3PO, who seemed rather startled to have been awakened at such an odd hour.

"Mistress Padme, whatever is the matter?"

"Not now 3PO," Padme waved away his question, "Can you make some tea and bring it through to the bedroom?"

"Of course, mistress Padme." C-3PO titled his head sideways slightly, as if questioning the request, but started the job anyway. Padme turned to leave, and then turned back, "Oh 3PO, make sure you bring three cups with you."

"Are we entertaining guests? At this hour?"

Padme pulled a face, "It's complicated."

* * *

Obi-Wan waited until Padme had left the room before speaking, "Anakin? Are you alright?"

There was no answer except for a muffled sniffle and the shifting of fabric.

He tried again, "Anakin, Padme told me you had another nightm- uh, vision. We just want to know you're okay."

"I'm fine." Anakin finally snapped back, "Just leave me alone"

Well, at least he was still speaking. The day Anakin Skywalker stopped talking would be the day the universe burned – hopefully metaphorically.

"Anakin, please. Come out of there. We can help you." Obi-Wan noted Padme returning, and she sat opposite him, facing the still closed door.

"Please, Ani," she begged, "Come out, let us help you."

There was a long pause before Anakin replied, his voice raw and tender, "You can't help me."

"We can Ani – we can help you, but only if you _talk_ to us." Obi-Wan could hear Padme's desperation, and not for the first time that night he wondered just how _deep_ their relationship went, as if Anakin sleeping at Padme's apartment wasn't already a big enough hint.

"Anakin, if you come out and talk to us, we will do everything we can to help you." He paused for a moment, catching Padme's eye, "I promise."

The door slid open.

"You do?" Anakin stood, or rather, leant on the doorway, tears still glistening in his eyes.

"Yes." Obi-Wan stood, and impulsively pulled Anakin into a hug, something which he hadn't done since Anakin was a young padawan. He felt Anakin stiffen, and finally soften under his touch. Padme joined them, after a moment, wrapping her arms tightly round Anakin's waist as he moved his real hand to rest on her shoulders.

It was, of course, at that particular moment when C-3PO wandered into the bedroom carrying a tray with a pot of tea and three cups, saw them all stood hugging whilst still wearing their sleep clothes, and wondered aloud, "Mistress Padme, what in the galaxy is happening here?"

* * *

Three cups of tea and two hours later, Anakin finally managed to spill his vision to Padme and Obi-Wan. Both were understandably concerned, but neither as much as Anakin. He'd also recounted – minus a lot of detail – to Padme about his previous visions and what they could possibly mean.

Of course, the huge neon sign that they were all ignoring was the one that shouted 'ANAKIN GOES DARK.'

Suffice to say, they were saving that for a time when they were all awake and cogitative. And preferably not in their sleep clothes, although it made for an interesting picture.

They sat in silence for a while, simply sipping at their tea, before Obi-Wan took the plunge, setting his cup down rather more harshly than normal to draw their attention.

"I think we need to address the bantha in the room." He looked pointedly at both of them, "Anakin, you know attachment is _forbidden_."

Anakin shrugged, "So what? From what I've heard you've had a plethora of girlfriends."

Obi-Wan spluttered harshly, "Anakin! I. No. That's. Only three! Maybe. Perhaps. Ugh." He dropped his head into his hands, his cheeks burning a bright shade of red. Anakin couldn't help but crack a smile, and he noticed Padme looking rather amused. He reached out and squeezed her hand, and she leaned over onto his shoulder.

"Should we tell him?" She whispered.

"We might as well," Anakin sighed. He hadn't wanted to keep his marriage a secret from Obi-Wan, but he hadn't exactly wanted to tell him either. His vision, and Padme calling Obi-Wan over had complicated things. A lot. "I _did_ promise to tell him everything."

"I'm sorry," Padme murmured, "I didn't know what else to do."

"It's okay," He replied, pressing a kiss against her head, "We'll figure it out, we always do."

Obi-Wan, having finally recovered from his bout of embarrassment, looked up to see the two of them pressed together, and groaned. Loudly.

"I can't believe this. I can't," he muttered. "I must be going mad."

"Not mad, Master," Anakin smirked, "Just old."

"Nooo." Obi-Wan moaned. He took a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose so tightly Anakin thought he might actually cut off his circulation, before addressing them, "Alright. Explain. Now."

Anakin paused, aware of the rather gigantic impact this secret was going to have, "Padme and I are married."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"We got married after Geonosis – the first time that is – in a secret ceremony on Naboo."

"Okay." Obi-Wan croaked, then, "That long?"

"Yes," Padme jumped in, "We didn't want to wait, not with the war. 3PO and R2 were there."

Obi-Wan let out a small laugh. "I can't believe it. The _droids_ knew. The kriffing _droids!_ "

"Uh, Master? Are you okay?" Anakin had never seen Obi-Wan quite like this before, but given the secret they had just dropped on him, he wasn't entirely surprised.

"I'm fine." Obi-Wan waved them off, "I just…I need some time." He stood, intent on leaving, shrugging his cloak back on to hide his abnormal attire. He yawned, "I'll come back after the Council meeting tomorrow morning. I expect you _both_ here – you understand? We have a _lot_ to talk about."

"Council meeting! You won't…you won't…" Anakin cried, alarmed. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"It's not my secret to tell, Anakin. Although, I must say it gives a much better meaning to all those times you went missing from the Temple."

"Why? Where did you think I was?"

Obi-Wan shrugged dramatically as he left, "Who knows Anakin? There's a _plethora_ of places you could have been."

The door slid shut behind him, and Anakin sighed, groaning inwardly.

"Well," Padme commented, "That went a lot better than I expected."

Anakin groaned again.

* * *

It was drawing on lunchtime when Obi-Wan finally returned the next day. Padme had excused herself from Senate meetings on the pretence that she was unwell, and Anakin, well, he hadn't left their apartment at all, choosing instead to sit and brood over his dreams. The only productive thing he had done that day was to comm Ahsoka and tell her that he wasn't going to be around today, that she was to go to her classes and be discreet about where he was. He'd done this once or twice before, so she knew the drill, and when she pestered him about where he had been he was annoyingly unspecific.

Thankfully, by the time Obi-Wan arrived, they were all fully dressed and (not really) ready for what was going to be bordering on a two hour lecture give or take – no doubt Obi-Wan had used the time to come up with a lot of very important and also possibly belittling points about why he and Padme should not be together.

All in all, Anakin summarised that it was going to be a _very long_ afternoon.

They sat awkwardly on the sofas, once again sipping at the tea that C-3PO had brought them before Padme sent him away. Anakin still didn't really enjoy tea, even after the years of it being basically forced on him because it was all that Obi-Wan seemed to drink.

Right then, he would have killed for some caf.

Obi-Wan coughed slightly, clearing his throat as a rather obvious way to get their attention – not that he didn't already have it. He drew in a deep breath - an extremely long and drawn out breath by Anakin's standards - and spoke, "I haven't come with the intent to lecture anyone today Anakin, so you can stop glaring at me like that."

Anakin hadn't even realised he had been.

"I do, however, have some things that I think need discussing." So it wasn't so much of a lecture but a lecture-discussion…thing…the results were bound to be the same anyway. Anakin was already prepared to tell Obi-Wan that he'd leave, that he'd give up being a Jedi for Padme. Had the war not come around, there was a very high chance he would have already done it, but he had responsibilities now, and as much as he'd like to wave them away, he couldn't just abandon his men, his _galaxy_ when they needed him most.

"I know that this is probably the opposite of what you'll be expecting, but I'm going to say it anyway. I know that you probably don't need it because, I mean, I'm not terribly important, and you're already married, and…"

Hold on. Was Obi-Wan _stalling?_ That was just something he never did – unintentionally anyway – and this felt _very_ unintentional.

"…I just wanted to say, that you have my blessing. Both of you. Your marriage I mean. Uhhh."

"What!?"

Obi-Wan's face blushed a glorious red, not too dissimilar to the exact same shade he went the previous night, and repeated what he said with astounding calmness, "You have my blessing."

Anakin launched himself forward and wrapped his arms tight around Obi-Wan in quite possibly the biggest hug he'd ever given. Giggling, Padme joined them, smothering Obi-Wan under layers of fabric.

For a moment, everything was perfect.

"Thank you," Anakin whispered. There was no way he would ever be able to put into words how much it meant to him, how much it meant to _them_ that he had his brother's approval. For sure, they may not have been brothers in blood, but that didn't lessen their bond at all.

Finally, they pulled away from Obi-Wan after being given the sense that it was rather hard to _breathe_ under Force knows however many layers of fabric Padme was wearing and two rather excitable people – especially when one is bigger than you. They settled back into their sofa, pressed up against each, and Anakin's arm wrapped round Padme's shoulders. She shared a look with him, and her smile was so radiant that Anakin was utterly convinced it was the sun.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Padme said, "It means a lot to us – more than you know."

Obi-Wan chuckled, "I can probably guess. If I'm honest Padme, I've suspected _something_ for a while now, but I said nothing of it because, well, I've never seen Anakin so _happy_."

"Really?" Anakin queried.

"Really. I don't seem to have made much of an impact, but all I've ever wanted was for you to be _happy_ Anakin. That's all I've ever wanted, and I can see that Padme does that so much better than I ever could."

Anakin leant back, shocked. He had never realised that Obi-Wan, selfless as always, had tried to make him _happy,_ tried to give him a _good life._ He thought back to all their fights, their arguments, the days spent not talking. All those times Obi-Wan pushed him towards trying different things, thinking different ways.

It was all to make him _happy._

He wasn't sure he had any words left, so he opened the bond he shared with Obi-Wan and flooded it with as much happiness as he could find within himself. Obi-Wan smiled warmly at him, and Anakin felt the best he had in, well, a long, _long_ time.

"However," Obi-Wan began, and Anakin felt his spirits start to sink again, "there's only _one_ issue with your marriage." He paused, and Anakin drew in an anxious breath, "I've come to realise, that attachment is _not_ the same as love. You knew this a long time ago Anakin, always pestering me about it. As Jedi, we are encouraged to have _compassion_ , but it many ways we are also encouraged to _love._ I think that the main difference between attachment and love is that – although we do not want to – we are capable of letting those we love _go._ Attachment means holding on, wanting _more_ for yourself, and often is centered around unhealthy relationships. Attachment is _selfish_ , but love, can be _selfless."_ He gave Anakin a pointed look, "A Jedi is meant to be selfless, so if the love they feel for another is also selfless, then I see no reason as to why it should be forbidden. But I don't think that necessarily applies here Anakin, I think you're leaning dangerously towards attachment, rather than love, and I think you need to ask yourself, if Padme – Force forbid it – was to die, would you be able to let her go? If she left you because she was unhappy, would you be able to let her go because it was what made _her_ happy?"

Anakin had never thought about it like that before, and though he didn't like it, there was a lot of truth in Obi-Wan's words. He could see the comparison, Obi-Wan had let go of Qui-Gon to try and make him happy, and now he needed to be able to do the same for Padme, if something like that ever happened.

He needed to learn to let go, when all his life he had been holding on, for fear of losing someone forever.

"That's it." He muttered, "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Ani?" Padme patted his shoulder gently to bring him back from his thoughts, "Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of losing you," Anakin murmured, "Like my mother."

"Oh Ani." Padme pulled him closer in a tight hug, but he pulled away after a moment to address Obi-Wan.

"You're right. I'm _afraid_ of letting go. I didn't let go of my mother when she died, and…" He shook his head, clearing the bad memory, "I promise you, Obi-Wan, I'll be ready. If, or when, the time comes. I'll let go. I promise."

Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly at him, "That's all I ask, Anakin. That's all." He rose, grasping Anakin's shoulder in a comforting hold, "I'll take my leave then. Thank you, both of you, for listening."

"Thank you for understanding, Obi-Wan," Padme replied, smiling graciously.

"May the Force be with you, Master."

"And with you, Padawan."

* * *

_~Part Five~_

Anakin couldn't move.

He squirmed and squirmed, his right arm gripping and pulling at the dirt, holding him in place. That was the extent of his movement.

And with every wiggle, pain and anger burned more ferociously then before.

He finally looked up, desperately searching for someone who could help him, who could _stop_ his suffering.

He almost wept with relief when he saw Obi-Wan stood in front of him, higher up the bank then he was, and clutching his lightsaber. Had there been a fight? Was he injured?

Why wasn't Obi-Wan helping him?

Trying to speak just made him realise how raw his throat was, having been inhaling soot particles from the source of intense heat behind him. The temperature was oddly reminiscent of Tatooine, although he suspected it was far hotter than even Tatooine's heatwaves.

"Help…me…" he finally rasped, looking directly into Obi-Wan's eyes, and shocked to find them full of pain and grief and sadness. It was quite possibly the most emotional he'd ever _seen_ him – and if he hadn't been witness to the man's mourning of Qui-Gon he might have been shocked that he even _knew_ emotions like those, so powerful and un-Jedi-like.

Obi-Wan shook his head, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes as he yelled, "You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would save us, not destroy us!"

What…what had he done?

Memories of his visions came flooding back, his saber carving through the younglings like they were mere battle droids. Like they were threats.

They were _children._

Anakin choked back a sob as Obi-Wan continued, "I cannot help you."

No!

How could Obi-Wan refuse? Was this the man who he called his brother finally showing his true colours?

Hatred bubbled inside him. Obi-Wan had always been _jealous_ of Anakin, jealous that _he_ got all the attention, jealous that Anakin – the Chosen One – got more attention than the infamous Sith Slayer, just because he had done something that Anakin hadn't? It must seem ironic, since the Sith his _former_ master had supposedly slain had returned, searching for sweet revenge, and indeed had made Obi-Wan's life a living hell, even more so than the hated war.

Hate was always such a strong word, and Anakin always remembered the effect it had on Obi-Wan.

"I hate you!" Anakin cried, pouring all his pent up anger and hatred and pain into those words, arming them with long barbs designed to stick deep and hold fast, so they would not be forgotten easily.

Obi-Wan would remember those words, and from the heartbroken look on his face, Anakin suspected his spikes had punctured right into his heart.

Serves him right – the so called selfless Jedi had finally been broken at last. Anakin was sure that if Maul had been there, he would have been cackling hysterically at seeing his old enemy finally beat, despite the fact that Anakin was the one who appeared to have lost the fight. For surely there must have been a fight, and he must have wrongly assumed that Obi-Wan would not seriously harm him, as he was rather sure he seemed to be missing a lot of limbs right then.

"You were my brother Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted back, his voice cracking with the weight of the emotions that now controlled _him._ Then, quieter, he added, "I loved you."

Once, that admission would have made Anakin happy. He would have been overjoyed to know that his master _did_ care for him, that he had an _attachment_.

Now, it was just another burden for Obi-Wan to bear. The boy he had trained and _loved,_ had turned around and spat it all back in his face.

Obi-Wan picked up Anakin's dropped lightsaber, gave him one last pained look, and walked away.

Anakin screamed after him, a twisting screech on anger which swiftly turned into a cry of pain as a terrible burning sensation swept over him. He could feel it, ravenous and furious, as it tore into him.

He could have laughed. He was on fire – like a phoenix, ready to be reborn.

Except that wasn't going to happen.

Anakin Skywalker was going to die a hot and painful death, much like the one he had always assumed he would meet on Tatooine.

How ironic.

* * *

Anakin awoke screaming in fear, unable to move any of his limbs. Not that it would have mattered anyway, for there was a weight pinning him on his back. He lashed out with the Force, bashing into whatever it was that held him down until his terror amplified his power so much it threw his attacker across the room and he was _free_.

He pushed himself upright, grabbing blindly at the robes he'd dropped onto the floor the night before. He had to go, had to get _away_.

He was just reaching for the door when a familiar voice stopped him dead.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan groaned, rubbing the back of his head with one hand where he must have hit the wall. Anakin turned slowly, eyes wide with fear as Obi-Wan stood, "I was only trying to help, I'm sorry if I startled you."

_Help._

Anakin growled, his eyes narrowing as he felt the all too familiar hot rush of anger, "You don't want to _help_ me. I'm nothing to you. NOTHING!"

Obi-Wan took a step back, straight into the wall he had already hit, shock written all over his face, mouth hanging agape. "Anakin-"

"No!" Anakin cried, cutting him off before he could weave any more lies, and then speaking the words he knew would hurt the most, "I _hate_ you! Leave me alone!"

He swept from the room, but not before he saw Obi-Wan slump against the wall, pain tearing him apart from the inside. For good measure, he slammed all his shields down, cutting Obi-Wan off completely through the bond.

He was done.

* * *

Somehow, in his haze of anger, he had traced the familiar path to the hanger of the cruiser. His starfighter – as always – was at the far end, surrounded by tools and parts. He climbed in and quickly started the flight preparations, just wanting to get _away._

He wished R2 was there. His droid was most likely wreaking havoc on some other part of the ship, not knowing that Anakin was going. It was unfortunate, but going to find him would take time and Anakin did not want to waste what little he had.

It seemed his concerns were well founded as just moments later a familiar face popped into view by the cockpit of his fighter.

"Anakin, come out of there."Obi-Wan had climbed onto his fighter, putting himself into a precarious position. If Anakin decided to leave, Obi-Wan could be carried into the vacuum of space. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was trying to prevent him from leaving, and putting himself in harm's way tended to make him sit up and listen.

Was it going to do that today?

"Please Anakin. Come out, we can talk about this." Anakin continued to ignore him, fingers hovering over the NavComputer. Where would he go?

 _Home_.

He didn't have a home. Tatooine had never been home, especially with so many terrible memories. He supposed he could go to Naboo, but without Padme it wouldn't be the same.

He started to input the coordinates for Coruscant when a fleeting memory pulled itself to the front of his mind. The last vision he'd had, the one where he'd ended up attacking Padme, it was because she'd brought Obi-Wan to _kill_ him.

That must have been when the fight started, when they had finally clashed.

He couldn't go to Padme. She'd only bring Obi-Wan back to talk sense into him. He was done with that.

No Padme; no Obi-Wan.

No Jedi either, which ruled Ahsoka out. As much as he would like her company, he couldn't help but remember the younglings in his vision. He swallowed, guilt starting to choke him.

"Anakin, we can talk about this. You don't have to run away."

No, he didn't. Running was what cowards did, and Anakin was no coward.

He pushed the cockpit open slowly, and Obi-Wan clambered off the fighter, allowing him room to get out. As he landed on the floor, Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief, before his head snapped upwards at the sound of Anakin's lightsaber igniting. Shocked, he barely had time to draw his own saber before Anakin had pounced, blue clashing on blue.

Obi-Wan managed to throw Anakin off and stepped away, lightsaber gripped tightly in his hands, "Anakin, stop! This isn't you!"

Anakin charged again, using his rage and hate to strengthen his attacks. His saber whirled and hummed, arching in long but powerful sweeps. Obi-Wan was driven back, his mastery of Soresu allowing him to deflect Anakin's attacks, but he had never fought against the true height of Anakin's power; power which Anakin was only just learning himself.

They collided again, sabers locked against each other, sparks flying as each opponent fought with all their might.

"You're wrong!" Anakin growled, "This is me."

"No!" Obi-Wan gasped, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as he struggled to fend off Anakin's increased strength, "I don't believe it."

Anakin roared, and Obi-Wan broke the hold, rolling forwards underneath Anakin's swing. Anakin spun round and launched a volley of intense Djem So attacks, pressing and pushing Obi-Wan faster and further, making him work harder and harder to keep up.

Obi-Wan was unfortunately still a better swordsman than Anakin, and when he left himself a little too open on one of his attacks, Obi-Wan took advantage, twisting his blade around Anakin's and swiftly disarming him. Anakin's lightsaber flew across the hanger, skittering across the floor until it came to rest underneath another ship.

No matter, Anakin didn't need a saber.

He flung himself at Obi-Wan, who reflexively brought his saber up to slice across Anakin's shoulder, which would have given him a slight burn had they been sparring. However, Obi-Wan realised as his blade flew towards Anakin, they were not sparring, but fighting - as Anakin was rather determined to kill him - and so his saber was still on full power. He noticed it too late to stop, instead throwing his arm out to the side so his lightsaber missed Anakin by a small gap. It unbalanced Obi-Wan, and with his blade still moving past Anakin, he had no defense to stop Anakin's powerful right hook. He rolled with the blow, coming up in a crouch, but Anakin had more control over the power of his anger now, and moved faster than Obi-Wan could react, knocking his saber from his hand and sending him sprawling on his back.

Anakin leapt forward, pinning Obi-Wan to the ground in a much more savage way than Obi-Wan had held him down earlier, and slammed his right fist into Obi-Wan's face again and again and again. He could feel Obi-Wan struggling underneath him, and Anakin responded by clamping his left hand around Obi-Wan's throat, cutting off his oxygen as he hit and he hit and he hit.

"Ana…kin…" Obi-Wan choked out. Anakin did not even pause in his attack, instead increasing the intensity of his punches.

"Ana…Ani…"

…Padme?

He looked up, confused. How could Padme be here? She was safe, on Coruscant, away from him.

_Away from him._

Gasping, he looked down, finally seeing clearly through the red haze that had clouded his vision. Obi-Wan lay unconscious beneath him, Anakin's hand still wrapped around his neck. He let go, and surely enough he heard Obi-Wan draw in a deep, rattling breath. He pushed himself off, and then leaned over Obi-Wan again, taking hold of his shoulders and shaking them.

"Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan, wake up!"

What had he done?

Tears fell uncontrollably from his eyes as he shook Obi-Wan again, harder, faster, trying to wake him up.

He had done this. He had done the very thing he had always tried to avoid.

He'd hurt someone he _loved_.

"Obi-Wan," he sobbed, pressing his head against the man's shoulders, feeling the fabric start to dampen. A hand ran slowly, reassuringly across his back, and he leaned into the touch for a moment before starting.

"Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan looked at him through unfocused eyes, one almost swollen shut, and the other rimmed with blood. His blood, from wounds Anakin had caused.

"Anakin," he muttered, his hand moving for Anakin's. Anakin caught it, and gripped tightly, not wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Obi-Wan." Anakin searched for more words, but could not find any. How could he excuse hurting Obi-Wan like this, all because of a dream?

A kriffing dream.

"S'okay Anakin. 'M fine."

Anakin laughed through the tears. Trust Obi-Wan to be as stubborn as always. Gently, he pulled Obi-Wan into a sitting position, and then into a hug. Obi-Wan looped his arms round Anakin loosely, knowing that at that moment, Anakin needed comfort.

How could he hate Obi-Wan? He remembered what Obi-Wan had said, that day in Padme's apartment. He only wanted Anakin to be happy, and Anakin wasn't sure if he had ever fully appreciated that.

"You're not fine. You're not. I'm sorry…I…I…" Anakin broke off, unsure of where to start. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"S'okay Anakin," he repeated, "tell me…later…" He paused, and his gaze flittered between two points, "which one is you?"

A small snort of laughter escaped before Anakin could stop it.

He heard footsteps behind him, and turned his head so he could see. Commander Cody approached slowly, wary of the two Jedi.

"Sirs!" Instinctively, he started to salute, and then stopped himself halfway. He froze for a moment, before moving closer.

"Cody?" Obi-Wan muttered, squinting, "Thought I…told you…to go…"

"Uh, yes sir – you did." Cody admitted, and then, knowing Obi-Wan wasn't exactly all there at the moment, turned to Anakin, "Fray's waiting outside for the general."

"Alright, thanks Cody." Anakin turned his attention back to Obi-Wan, whose eyes were starting to flitter shut, "Hey! You've got to stay awake."

"Sorry." Obi-Wan muttered, injecting as much sarcasm as he could manage into the word. Anakin sighed and hooked Obi-Wan's arm round his shoulder. Cody did the same on his other side, and together they lifted Obi-Wan upright. Obi-Wan moaned, and Anakin felt his gut clench knowing that _he_ had done this.

Pushing his thoughts to the side, knowing they could be dealt with once Obi-Wan was seen to, they began to make their way slowly across the hanger. Cody took slightly more weight than Anakin, as he carefully opened up the bond again. He reached, pulling back with him some of Obi-Wan's pain. He held it for a moment, punishing himself, before releasing it into the Force. He took some more, and Obi-Wan sent a wave of thanks his way.

As Cody had said, Fray was waiting for them just outside the door, an overstuffed med-kit in hand. He smiled tersely at them, and addressed Obi-Wan, "I suppose there's no chance of you coming down to the med-bay?"

Obi-Wan grumbled something under his breath, and Anakin translated "He says, 'Not on your life.'"

Fray chuckled, just as glad as the rest of them that Obi-Wan's sense of humour was still apparently intact. "Alright then - your place it is."

The small group made to follow, but Cody stopped Anakin, "Sir, if you don't mind me saying, I think it's best that you stay away and sort yourself out. Just until Fray's finished."

Anakin would have been a fool to miss Cody's protective behaviour. He was right though, and so Anakin carefully unhooked Obi-Wan's arm and let Cody take his weight.

"Alright. Just…comm me."

"Will do sir." Cody gave him a small nod, and set off after Fray, Obi-Wan slumped at his side.

Once they were out of sight, Anakin leant against the wall and let out a long sigh.

He was in a large pile of poodoo, that was for sure.

* * *

Cody paused for a moment at the door, hand raised ready to knock but unsure if he should. Just moments ago, General Skywalker had been yelling rather loudly, waking a lot of clones up, and had just now stormed out of his room and away down the opposite end of the corridor.

The clones may have been used to the occasional argument between the two generals, but nothing as large or as loud as this one.

Cody summoned his courage and moved to knock on the door just as it slid open, and his reflexes saved him from hitting General Kenobi in the face.

He didn't think that would be very much appreciated.

"Cody!" Kenobi exclaimed, surprised by his Commander's presence. Then, as if remembering the noise from his argument with Skywalker, he looked rather sheepish. "Sorry, didn't mean to be so loud."

"It's alright sir." Cody found himself saying, "I just thought I would check…"

Did he even have a good excuse?

Thankfully, Kenobi understood and managed to save some of his pride, "…that we weren't being attacked. Thank you Cody, but I assure you, everything is fine."

Cody frowned, noticing how forced those words were. Kenobi sighed, "Okay, it's _not_ fine, but it will be."

A small flicker of hurt passed over his face.

"Sir!" Cody gasped, alarmed. Was Kenobi injured? Had Skywalker hurt him?

"It's fine," Kenobi reassured him, "It's just Anakin."

"Right…" Cody trailed off, knowing Kenobi was most likely referencing to some Jedi thing, the 'bond' that they shared perhaps. "I'll…I'll just go then." He turned to leave, a slight red tinge colouring his face. No way was he getting in the way of their argument – they could sort it out themselves.

"Wait, Cody!" Kenobi called after him. Cody turned back round, waiting expectantly. "Could you…could you perhaps clear out the hanger? Discreetly, if you can."

"What for sir?"

Kenobi sighed, "Just, a feeling. A bad one."

Cody may not totally believe in all that Force malarkey, but when General Kenobi said he had a bad feeling, he was usually right. "Will do."

"Thanks," Kenobi replied, and set off after Skywalker, before turning and adding, "And make sure no-one comes in. At all."

"Of course." Cody nodded understandingly, and Kenobi gave him a small smile before racing away after Skywalker again.

Once he had gone, Cody sighed. Damn these insufferable Jedi.

* * *

Despite Cody's best efforts, most of the clones who had been woken up by the Jedi – including the majority of the 501st – had made their way up to the bridge where they were now crowded round a screen showing the camera footage from the hanger. Cody had tried to stop them, but his men were willing to take punishment to satisfy their curiosities.

Part of Cody admitted that he wanted to watch too, if only to make sure that nothing got too out of hand.

Anxious mutters broke out among the gathered clones as Skywalker engaged Kenobi. Cody found himself holding his breath as he watched the fight play out on the screen, hoping and praying that his general would be okay.

Luck – or even the Force- was not with him today, as Skywalker fought more mercilessly than ever, driving Kenobi back. Small cheers erupted from the clones from the 212th as Kenobi disarmed Skywalker, but then not even the 501st cheered as Skywalker fell upon Kenobi with savage ferocity.

"Commander!" Waxer called, jolting him back to reality, "We have to stop him!"

"No. General Kenobi's orders. No-one is to go inside." Cody said firmly, although all he really wanted to do right then was race down there himself and tear a piece off Skywalker.

"He'll kill him!" Waxer objected, motioning to the camera.

"We have to follow orders!" Cody cried, "If anyone goes down there without my permission, they'll be on sanitation duty for a ten-day. Is that understood?"

Mumbles of 'yes' echoed around him. Cody turned back to the screen just in time to see Skywalker freeze. He wondered for a moment if it was the footage, but then Skywalker just seemed to collapse, shifting off the unconscious – and surely he must be by now – Kenobi.

The fight was over.

Sighs of relief came from his brothers, and Cody turned to confer with Rex, "Get them out of here. I'm going down."

"Understood," Rex replied, sadness tinting his eyes, "Be careful."

"I will," Cody promised. He moved stealthily, his escape unnoticed by the troops.

On the elevator ride down, he commed Fray, the 212th's medic, "Fray? Grab your med-kit and meet me by the east hanger doors. Do not go inside."

"Copy that Commander," Fray replied. Cody stepped out of the halted elevator, and then spoke again, "Make sure it's a Kenobi-special." That meant to bring extra supplies – a _lot_ of extra supplies. Damn general was always getting injured.

Fray confirmed the addition, and said he would be there in just a few minutes. Cody waited, and as soon as he saw Fray heading towards him, he motioned for Fray to stay outside the hanger, took a deep breath, and entered.

This was not going to be fun.

* * *

Anakin paced anxiously in his room, glancing at his comm every few seconds in the hope that it would ping, but it was doing that rather annoying thing where the more you check it, the less likely it is to go off.

Sighing, he perched on the edge of what might be referred to as a bed, but was really just a hole carved in the wall of the ship with a sleep mat pushed inside. To Anakin, it was one of the comfiest places he'd slept in since the start of the war – it certainly beat hard floors or piles of mud.

He bent over, resting his head in his hands and for the umpteenth time he wondered just where he went so _wrong_.

Had it been when he attacked Padme? When he hid things from the ones he cared about? Or did it go all the way to that blasted planet otherwise known as Tatooine, and his slaughter of the sand people.

Yet another secret he kept.

He resolved – with a heavy heart – that he couldn't hold anything back now. He'd made a promise to Obi-Wan, all that time ago, and he had to keep it. Especially with this latest vision. He still couldn't quite believe that he could fall so far that even his best friend, his _brother_ would no longer help him.

Anakin didn't ask for help often, and when he did it meant that something was most definitely up.

He didn't want to go Dark, and yet, just then in the hanger, he had tasted the power of the Dark Side once more. This time, he had been able to control it more, to use it to fuel his strength rather than just give him uncontrollable power.

He didn't like the fact he was learning to use the Dark Side. It wasn't what Jedi would do, and although he was far from being perfect, he was a Jedi Knight and Force be damned he would still be until his dying day.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't noticed his comm chirping at him until he saw the flashing light. He answered quickly, hoping for good news.

"Skywalker."

"General, we're all finished here for now." Cody replied, a worrying tone to his voice. It was obvious he was concerned for Obi-Wan, and that his dislike for Anakin had reached new heights. Sure, Cody had tolerated him before – the two never quite seeing eye to eye – but when it came to Obi-Wan, Cody was as protective as Anakin, and if he had seen what Anakin had done during that fight, seen the _damage_ he had caused, he had every reason to be wary of Anakin's volatile temper.

"Alright, I'm on my way." Anakin cut off the link before Cody could pass further comment. He moved slowly, as Obi-Wan's room was only down the corridor, and he wanted the pair to be gone before he got there.

No such luck. Cody was waiting for him outside the door, arms folded across his chest, which Anakin just realised was bare of armour, the Commander having being woken up by their fight. It was unusual to see Cody out of armour – hell, he didn't think he'd _ever_ seen Cody without his familiar yellow-painted armour, but he had seen plenty of other clones, and so his brain hadn't recognised that particular little fact.

Brushing aside his trivial thoughts, he faced Cody, arms crossed across _his_ chest.

"The General's asleep sir. Fray gave him a sedative that should knock him out for a good eight hours or so."

Anakin scoffed, "Make that four then."

Cody gave him a small hint of a smile, obviously familiar with Obi-Wan's extreme dislike of anything remotely medical, and his tendency to burn through drugs and sedatives at around half the normal rate, just to try and get away quicker – not that it ever worked.

After an awkward pause, Cody finally stood aside and let Anakin enter. He nodded his thanks to the commander, and stepped in.

Obi-Wan lay in his own 'bed', more or less exactly the same as Anakin's version. He was definitely asleep, as Anakin's quick prod at his Force signature showed. He pulled over the sole chair in the room, and sat uncomfortably by Obi-Wan's side.

Obi-Wan's face was a collection of colours. Stark white bandages stood out against bruised skin, a menagerie of purples, blues and blacks. A slight gleam under the harsh light showed tell-tale traces of bacta where it had been applied to the wounds. Anakin could see that Fray had done his best to clean the blood, but he could still see small clumps matted into Obi-Wan's hair.

Sighing, Anakin grasped Obi-Wan's hand, squeezing it tight. He supposed he should be thankful that it hadn't been more serious – in a lightsaber duel it was not uncommon to sustain terrible wounds, including the amputation of his own arm, and the Mou'Kei movement that Obi-Wan must have pulled off in Anakin's vision.

He shuddered. A move like that was taught, but so they could recognise the action and learn to avoid it. It was only to be used in the direst of circumstances, which just added to Anakin's own misery that he could have fallen so far. If he had fought Obi-Wan in his vision using the same ferocity as he had displayed earlier, then Obi-Wan would have had to take any chance to stop Anakin, even if that meant extreme injuries.

It was, he supposed, what he deserved, for turning his back on the Jedi. For destroying them, if what the Obi-Wan in his vision said was true.

He should just leave, put as much distance between himself and those he loved.

That was a coward's move.

Anakin was no coward when it came to battles, to fighting. His own problems? He'd been running away from them for as long as he could remember.

Maybe now was his time to stand and fight back.

* * *

Anakin woke with a jolt. He'd been slipping back into his vision when something had squeezed his hand so tight he thought all his fingers must be broken. He cracked open one eye, and then the other, and found himself looking straight into Obi-Wan's.

"Obi-Wan!" He cried, thankful that he was awake. Obi-Wan smiled, and Anakin felt something prod at the bond. Obediently, he raised his shields, and one word came floating through.

_Water._

"I…yes, of course." He jumped up from his seat and stumbled on dead legs over to the tap in the corner. Pulling Obi-Wan's canteen to him from the other side of the room, he filled it and quickly brought it back to Obi-Wan, who chugged a good half of it down before Anakin pulled it away. Obi-Wan scowled, and Anakin laughed.

"You can't have too much at once Obi-Wan," He chastised.

"The hell I can't." Obi-Wan grumbled, his voice only slightly scratchy, "Give it back."

"Nope." Anakin declared, screwing the lid back on and placing it on the table beside him, where, he realised, both their lightsabers sat. He tested the Force, and recognised the faint signature of Cody. He must have brought them back in whilst the pair had slept. "You can have some more in a minute."

"Fine." Obi-Wan began to push himself off the bed, but Anakin pushed him back down again.

"Don't you dare," Anakin said, propping up the lone pillow for Obi-Wan to lean on, "You're not going anywhere."

"It's only my face that's broken, Anakin." Obi-Wan griped, "The rest of me is fine."

His comment hit Anakin a little too close to home, and it must have showed on his face because Obi-Wan immediately apologised.

"Sorry, I didn't think."

"Well that's a first," Anakin finally managed to say, "Normally I'm the one to speak before they think."

"Yes, well, I'm sure it must have something to do with those sedatives they pumped into me."

Or the concussion, or any of his injuries actually, but Anakin declined to comment on that.

"I should comm Fray. Let him know you're awake a good-" He checked the time on his comm, "-three hours earlier than expected."

"Not yet." Obi-Wan placed his hand over Anakin's comm. "We need to talk first."

Anakin decided not to disagree. Quickly, he told Obi-Wan about his vision in as much detail as he could. Several times, he trailed off, staring into the distance before a squeeze from Obi-Wan brought him back.

"I would never do that." Obi-Wan reassured him after hearing about how he turned away from Anakin's plea, "I would never deny you help – no matter how far you may fall."

"Thanks," Anakin muttered, "I'd like to avoid falling at all if possible."

"Well that's understandable," Obi-Wan replied, and then paused, "I think you know what I'm going to say next."

"Yes." Anakin sighed, having already thought about the question _and_ its answer, "I think I should talk to master Yoda too."

"Good." Obi-Wan was surprised, and then he proceeded to surprise Anakin, "He's expecting you."

"He what? How is he…?" Anakin trailed off, realisation dawning, "You've already told him. About my visions."

"Yes and no. He knows you've been having them, that they show a future where you Fall, but I kept the details secret. That is for you to tell, not me."

Trust Obi-Wan to still be so selfless.

"There's one more thing you need to know – because I promised you that I wouldn't hold anything back. This is my last secret Obi-Wan." Anakin stopped, and then started again, telling Obi-Wan in the briefest detail possible about his murder of the Sand People. Obi-Wan listened with a grim face, even grimmer than before.

"Anakin, all this shows is that you have an affinity for the Dark Side, but we can help you suppress that. We can help you learn to control it, rather than it controlling you."

"Really?" Anakin was shocked. He expected Obi-Wan to take the news badly. Obi-Wan only shrugged.

"Something about you had changed when you arrived on Geonosis. I admit, I was not expecting…that…but there has always been something. I had hoped you had moved on, but it seems you still have a knack of holding on." Obi-Wan explained.

"I'm…working on it." Anakin explained, although he hadn't really been making much progress.

"Let us help, Anakin." Obi-Wan reached for Anakin's shoulder, grasping it tightly, "Let us help _you._ "

"Okay." Anakin murmured, tears threatening to fall, "Help me, Obi-Wan."

He was his only hope.

* * *

_~Part Six~_

Anakin's eyes flew open as the first spasm of pain rocketed through him. His back arched, lifting him from the bed and faintly he heard voices calling through his fogged brain. He jerked again, still stuck in the remnants of his vision, bright blue flashing in his eyes.

Even when his body stopped trembling, his vision was still blurry and unfocused. Faint shapes gradually became sharper; colours became more saturated, and details started to fill themselves in.

"Obi-Wan? Snips?" Anakin murmured, aware of just how much it hurt his throat to talk. It felt raw-had he been screaming again? His visions sometimes caused an extreme reaction. Master Yoda just said it was because his dreams were possible futures, and so it was easy for them to bleed into reality. Or at least that's what Anakin thought he said.

One pair of hands helped him sit up, the other passed him a glass of water. He took a sip gratefully, happy to soften his aching throat.

"Another vision?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin nodded.

"Yes…but…"

"But what?" Ahsoka injected, curious.

"I…" Anakin trailed off, recalling what he had seen to mind. It was a lot shorter than any of his other visions, but somehow the most important.

He looked Obi-Wan straight in the eye, "I need to see Master Yoda. Now."

* * *

It turned out Master Yoda wasn't at all surprised by their rather early visit. He – like several other Jedi – had been woken by Anakin's Force presence, which always heightened dramatically at times like these.

All four of them sat on round meditation cushions; Master Yoda and Obi-Wan sipped anxiously at cups of tea, and Ahsoka sat close to Anakin, clutching his hand reassuringly. She was scared – Anakin knew it – as between the fallout from his visions and the war effort, he hadn't really gotten much of a chance to talk to her about what was happening.

He regretted that now.

After a few minutes of silence, Master Yoda finally spoke, "This vision, disturbing it is?"

"Yes," Anakin admitted quietly, hanging his head slightly, "I'm not sure what to make of it."

"Hmm. Unsure you are, about the future you have seen."

"Not just that, Master Yoda," Anakin paused, "I…I saw the Sith Lord."

Shock echoed round the room.

"See this, we must." Master Yoda insisted after a moment.

"How?" Anakin couldn't very well just whip out a datapad and show them a video. _It was in his mind._

"Meditate, we must. Guide you, I will." Master Yoda reached out a clawed hand either side of him, which Anakin and Obi-Wan both took. Ahsoka grasped Obi-Wan's other hand, forming an unbroken circle.

"Unbroken, the circle must stay, if your vision, we are to see." Master Yoda closed his eyes, sinking in to the Force. Anakin and Obi-Wan glanced slightly skeptically at each other before doing the same.

With Master Yoda guiding them, they sank faster and deeper into the Force than ever before. Anakin could feel every single Jedi in the Temple – no – every _living being_ on Coruscant. If they sank any deeper, Anakin was sure he could reach out across the galaxy and touch the minds of thousands, _millions._

He felt a probing at his shields and lowered them quickly until his mind was completely unguarded. He knew he should feel threatened, but he was surrounded by the Force, and it would protect him.

 _"Your vision, remember you will,"_ Master Yoda's voice floated to him as if on a cloud, and Anakin readily agreed, drawing forward the memory of his latest vision.

A figure in a dark cloak stood before him, hood covering most of the face. The Sith Lord cackled gleefully.

"The Force is strong with you, my dear boy." The Sith raised his hands, and Anakin tensed instinctively, preparing himself for what was about to come.

"A powerful Sith you will be." Without giving Anakin a chance to fight back, blue lightning shot from his fingers, paralysing Anakin in a state of terrible, terrible pain. He screamed, unable to help himself as the pain took over and then he was falling and falling and falling…

Anakin was lifted out of his meditative trance just as he hit the floor. He groaned, slightly unsure as to why he was lying there, before picking himself up slowly. He turned to face the others, who were all staring at him.

"Sorry," he mumbled, knowing that Master Yoda had said _specifically_ not to break the circle.

They ignored him. Obi-Wan turned to Yoda, "I feel like I recognised the Sith Lord."

"The same feeling, I had too." Yoda agreed. He turned to Ahsoka, "And you, Padawan Tano?"

"I…" Ahsoka stammered, letting her feelings get the better of her. She glanced at Anakin, who gave her an encouraging nod, "I know his voice from somewhere."

All eyes turned to Anakin now. "I know who he is Master, I just can't put my finger on _who._ I fear it's someone I know well – someone we _all_ know well."

"Well that's a short list." Obi-Wan replied. "There's me, Ahsoka, Master Yoda, the Council, the clones, Senator Amidala, the Chancellor-"

_The Chancellor!?_

"It's him." Anakin murmured, the pieces of the puzzle finally beginning to slot into place. His constant knowledge of Separatist Forces when even the Jedi's best contacts couldn't place them. The amount of traps they'd been led into on his request. His _manipulation_ of Anakin for years – was he…was he preparing Anakin for the Dark Side? "I don't know how we never saw it before – but it's him."

"Him who, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, slightly miffed at being cut off in the middle of his list.

"The Chancellor. He's the Sith Lord."

Anakin's declaration was met by silence.

"I do hope you're joking Anakin." Obi-Wan glared at him, "This is not something to be taken lightly."

"No, he is. I'll show you." Anakin reached for Ahsoka and Yoda's hands again, and begrudgingly they joined back up in the circle. This time, it was Anakin who led them down, having already trodden the path with Yoda just minutes before.

Once they were deep enough that they could feel the signature of every being on the planet – Force sensitive or not – Anakin directed their attention to the Chancellor's rooms in the 500 Republica.

His signature was deceptively normal – not even a trace of Force sensitivity. He could feel Obi-Wan about to direct a sarcastic comment at him, so he started his work.

Slowly, he began to peel away the layers of lies that surrounded the Chancellor. Bit by bit, the grey aura of a non-Force user was stripped away to reveal a deep red and black heart, frazzling with the blue lightning of the Sith.

He felt the collective metaphorical gasp, just before the signature flared with life, seeking out the intruders. Panicking, he pulled them away quickly, back to the safety of the Temple. They emerged from the meditation gasping, all of them reeling from the shock revelation that the _Chancellor_ was the Sith Lord.

Master Yoda looked solemnly at the three of them, "Summon the Council, I must."

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

The Jedi Council was in uproar.

Despite the early hour, many of the Council members were already awake when the summons came due to Anakin's vision, which had disturbed the Force a great deal.

Mace Windu tried to call for calm when Anakin announced that the Sith Lord was Chancellor Palpatine, the _most_ _powerful_ person in the galaxy.

"He's lying!" Saesee Tiin objected, "The Chancellor could not be the Sith Lord!"

"I find it highly unlikely." Ki-Adi Mundi added, "Surely we would have sensed his presence before?"

Several other Council members voiced their agreement. Anakin stood awkwardly in the middle of all the accusations, glancing at Obi-Wan for support, except his former master was keeping quiet until Saesee Tiin pulled him into the argument.

"And you, Master Kenobi?"

"Anakin is correct." Obi-Wan declared, "The Chancellor is the Sith Lord we have been seeking. He is very powerful, and has seemingly been manipulating the war from the start."

More cries of outrage. Finally, his patience seemingly worn thin, Master Yoda banged his gimmer stick harshly on the arm of his seat. The mutters died down quickly as all eyes turned to Master Yoda.

"Sad it is, but right, Skywalker is. A Sith Lord hidden from us, the Chancellor is. Seen his signature, I have, and speak the truth, we do."

The Council feel into a shell-shocked silence, and Anakin resisted the urge to say," I told you so." He settled for a slightly smug but worried frown.

"Then we must confront the Sith, force him to show his true self." Saesee Tiin finally spoke, evidently still not fully on board with the idea but willing to believe Master Yoda for now.

"Agreed," came the echoes of several other members. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"The Sith Lord is dangerous. If he's hidden himself so well all these years, he's going to do his best to keep the whole thing covered up. A full on assault might turn the tide against us."

"Are you suggesting that a team of Masters is not enough to defeat the Sith, _Master Kenobi,_ " Saesee Tiin spat, knowing full well Obi-Wan had taken down a Sith single-handedly when he was only a padawan.

"He is more powerful than his apprentices. We need the element of surprise, perhaps draw him offworld and fight him there. Less civilians, and a chance for a cover-up if needed." Obi-Wan argued.

A cover-up? They were planning to kill the _Chancellor_ and cover it up?

That didn't sound right.

As if sensing his discomfort – which was more than likely – Obi-Wan turned back to him, "Of course, the ideal solution to apprehend the Sith."

That was shot down almost immediately. He was too dangerous to be kept alive. Anakin simmered in his annoyance. Couldn't they see they were going in circles? One second, a small group of Masters was enough to take him down, and then the next he was too powerful to be kept alive.

"Make up your damn minds." Anakin growled. Every head in the room swivelled towards him. Ah. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Skywalker's right." Mace Windu finally proclaimed, "All this arguing will get us nowhere."

Was Mace Windu actually _agreeing_ with him? Times were different indeed.

"What do you suggest, Master Yoda?" Adi Gallia questioned. The Grandmaster closed his eyes and hummed quietly to himself for a moment, deep in thought.

"Our path, unclear it is. Confront the Sith Lord soon, we should. Suspicious, he will be, but powerful he is. A team of four, we will send."

Anakin and Obi-Wan both immediately volunteered. Yoda shook his head, "Too close to this, you are. Exploit your weaknesses, the Sith might."

Anakin wanted to argue that he didn't _have_ any weaknesses but a small voice niggled at him, reminding him that he still hadn't quite got the hang of the whole 'letting go' part – although he had been _trying._

Eventually, the Council decided on a team made up of Mace Windu, Agen Kolar, Saesee Tiin and Kit Fisto. They were to leave just after first light, as that was when the Chancellor always arrived at his office in the Senate building. The public setting was risky, but in order to prove who the Chancellor really was, witnesses were a necessity.

Neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin agreed on the plan, but were outvoted by the whole Council – not to mention Anakin wasn't even _on_ the Council.

To put it best, after the Council meeting was over and only Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka (who had waited outside) were left, Obi-Wan turned to them and said very plainly, "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

"Damn the Council. I'm going Obi-Wan, and you can't stop. It's not going to be enough – they won't be able to stop him."

"I know Anakin." Obi-Wan sighed wearily, "That's why I'm coming with you."

"He's too powe…wait…you're letting me go?"

"You'll go no matter what I say. At least this way you'll have some back-up. You said it yourself, he's dangerous."

"Alright." Anakin was fairly surprised. Normally Obi-Wan would be totally against doing something the Council had explicitly said _not_ to do.

"I'm coming too." Ahsoka piped up. Simultaneously, both men turned and fixed her with equally disapproving glares. She glared back, "I can be your back-up…back-up."

"No, you can make sure there are no civilians in the way." Anakin corrected, knowing that like him, she would most likely sneak after them anyway, "You won't get involved in the fight at all. Do you understand?"

Ahsoka hung her head slightly, "Yes Master."

"Good. We should probably get going."

It was the feel of the first death that caused them to race to the hanger at breakneck speeds.

* * *

Anakin and Obi-Wan burst into the Chancellor's office. By the door lay the bodies of Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin, and whilst Anakin had never really liked Saesee Tiin, his death simply added fuel to his desire to bring down the Sith once and for all.

A little way off lay Kit Fisto. At first glance, it would seem that the Nautolaun had perished, but through the Force Anakin could hear a weak thrumming heartbeat. He was alive, but he wouldn't be for much longer.

Where the large panoramic window had once been was shattered glass. The Chancellor lay crouched at one end, weaponless and seemingly defenceless. Above him stood Mace Windu, purple blade levelled at the Chancellor, ready to slice a killing blow. The Coruscanti sunrise framed the whole picture, adding shades of oranges, yellows, and dramatic shadows.

"Anakin!" The Chancellor's eyes lit up at the sight of him, "Help me! He's going to kill me!"

"You shouldn't be here Skywalker," Mace Windu growled. "It's not your place."

"And it's yours to kill a defenseless man?" Anakin threw back. Windu looked shocked.

"He's a Sith Lord! He's probably plotting to kill us all!"

"The Code forbids it!" Anakin threw back, finally finding a use for all those rules Obi-Wan had him memorise as a padawan.

"Help me!" The Chancellor cried again. Anakin's gaze darted between the two of them. He couldn't let Master Windu killed an unarmed man, but the Sith was too dangerous.

How could he choose?

Finally, Palpatine made the choice for him. Blue lightning zapped ferociously from his fingers, and Windu brought up his saber just in time to catch it. Using his mastery of Vaapad to deflect it, the lightning began to rebound on Palpatine. He cried out, and Anakin watched, horrified, as the man's face began to transform. Wrinkled grew more pronounced and misshapen, skin sagged and his eyes grew wider and took on the yellow colour of the Sith.

The lightning stopped for a moment, and Anakin stared at the horrific new form his _friend_ had now taken.

How had he ever trusted this man? He had been manipulated for years into thinking things he shouldn't, into _doing_ things he shouldn't.

Palpatine smirked wickedly at him, and suddenly Anakin noticed the saber resting in his left hand. He tried to move, tried to warn Windu, but Palpatine was faster. His crimson blade hummed into life, and with one quick flick Windu's saber arm was severed at the elbow. The Sith spun round, ready to deliver the killing blow as the Master cried out in pain, but Anakin reacted quicker and pushed the injured Master away.

Unfortunately, he also went over the edge of the window, and Anakin watched helplessly as he fell from view.

What had he done?

Sidious cackled gleefully. "Well done, my dear boy. You will make a powerful Sith."

"No." Anakin breathed, remembering his vision. He glanced over to Obi-Wan, who was crouched by Kit Fisto, trying to sustain the master's life.

"Yes," Sidious hissed, "You're friends do not care about you, Anakin. They only see you as an obstacle. Take your master, for instance." He gestured at Obi-Wan, who drew his lightsaber, holding the hilt tightly in one hand whilst the other was still channelling energy to Kit Fisto. "He's _jealous_ of you Anakin. You took his glory away from him, you've beaten him at every turn. He never wanted to _train_ you, and he's only holding you _back._ "

Once, those words would have stuck to Anakin fast, sinking their barbs into his heart. Not any longer. Fuelled with the knowledge of the past few months, with how much _love_ and _care_ was poured into him by everyone in his life, he no longer believed the Sith's words.

"You're wrong," Anakin hissed, pulling his lightsaber and igniting it, "Obi-Wan would do anything for me – and I know it. I have _always_ known it."

Sidious' eyes narrowed. "Very well. He shall die, along with your precious _wife."_ He spat the word like it was poison, and Anakin froze, suddenly aware that Padme had no idea they were even _in_ the Senate building, let alone facing the _Sith Lord_.

Locked in his panic, Sidious took advantage of his distraction to leap at Obi-Wan, saber outstretched. Luckily, Obi-Wan was ready, and deflected the swing as he powered up his own blade. Trusting Obi-Wan for a moment, Anakin quickly commed Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka! Find Padme – now!" He didn't waste time explaining, instead he threw himself into the fight alongside Obi-Wan.

The confined space, however, was no good for Anakin's wide and offensive style. Both Obi-Wan and Sidious seemed fine – Soresu prided itself on small movements, and Sidious had a flowing style that changed very quickly. Prodding Obi-Wan in the bond, he sent a suggestion that they should find a better battleground, and Obi-Wan agreed.

Together, they backed away, through the doors to the Chancellor's office and down hauntingly empty corridors. Sidious followed, obvious to what they were planning.

"No matter where we go, you will never beat me."

"We'll see." Anakin retorted, barely ducking in time to miss an overhead sweep. He was letting Obi-Wan do the directing, trusting his master's choice of arena.

He didn't overly approve when Obi-Wan lead them into the Senate room itself, but realised soon that the pods had a great tactical advantage – they could be flung at one's opponent.

Working together, Anakin and Obi-Wan flung several in the direction of Sidious, who batted them away. Anakin could see him working hard to do it, and knew if they could just last a bit longer then Sidious might be tired enough to let them slip in a hit.

Sidious jumped down towards the pair, blade raised ready to attack, and a snarl forming on his disfigured face.

Anakin rolled out of the way and slipped, sliding towards the edge of the pod. He heard Obi-Wan shout his name as he fought to regain his balance, but gravity pulled him downwards and he was left dangling by his prosthetic hand, hundreds of metres above the floor.

The walls around him lit up with the light of the two clashing sabers above him, the shiny surface reflecting the blue and red mesh. He could feel sparks passing him by as he started to pull himself up, struggling to get a grip on the pod's smooth surface.

His head crested the top of the pod in time to see Obi-Wan unbalanced by Sidious, who then spun round and dealt a swift slice to Obi-Wan's back. He heard Obi-Wan's cry of pain as he fell forwards, landing on his knees in front of the Sith.

"No!" Anakin cried, using his anger to propel him towards Sidious, as the smell of burnt flesh wafted into his nose. Brimming with hate, feeling Obi-Wan's _pain_ , he launched a huge volley of Djem So attacks on the Sith, drawing him onto another pod and away from the injured Obi-Wan. Sidious laughed at him.

"You think you can defeat me? You know nothing _boy_ , but if you join me, we can rule the galaxy!" Anakin blocked a blow from the Sith Lord, dodging another that singed the end of his hair.

"I don't want to rule the galaxy." Anakin replied. Sidious laughed again.

"I can give you whatever you want, Anakin. Just say the word, and it's yours."

"The only thing I want is you dead!" Anakin snapped, rolling under the Sith's blow. He felt Sidious' fury at his words, and the Force became suffocating with the Darkness that rolled off the Sith in waves.

Sidious flew at him, quicker than Anakin could react. His lightsaber was knocked from his hand, and he felt the burn of the blade as it passed by his side, close enough to gouge a line in his flesh. He shouted in pain and annoyance, turning to face Sidious quickly enough to see the all too familiar blue lightning shoot from his hands.

Anakin fell to his knees, fists clenching as he tried to fight the agony that filled him. Sidious increased the intensity of his attack, and Anakin screamed, falling to the ground. His vision started to turn a bright white, blinding him. Was this the end? Was he going to die? Anakin didn't fear death, but he feared for the world he would leave behind.

 _"I'm sorry."_ He sent out, reaching for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka in what he thought would be his last moments.

The pain stopped, but for a moment, Anakin was paralysed and confused. He could still hear screams, but they were not his own.

He looked up, eyes wide with shock as he saw the path the lightning now took. Instead of hitting him, as it should, he had a shield.

A very much alive shield.

Obi-Wan.

The injured master must have leapt in front of him, blocking Sidious from reaching his target. Anakin just stared, unable to fathom why Obi-Wan would do such a thing.

 _"Ana…Anakin."_ Obi-Wan stuttered through the bond, _"You can do this. I believe in you."_

 _"You'll die!"_ Anakin cried back.

_"Perhaps. But if you defeat him, it will not be in vain."_

_"Obi-Wan!"_ Anakin wanted to sob, to scream, to shake his master by the shoulders and yell at him for being so _stupid._

_"Don't let your anger rule you Anakin. Remember, no attachments. Let me go."_

And he did.

Obi-Wan slumped lifelessly before him, his body finally giving out. Anakin rose unsteadily to his feet, calling his fallen lightsaber to his hand, the Force grieving in echoes around him.

"What are you going to do now, _apprentice?_ " Sidious cawed, "Your master's dead – and by now your wife will be too. I wonder if the assassins I sent killed your naïve little padawan as well. I suppose it's for the best. After all, a Jedi does not have _attachments._ "

_Padme. Ahsoka._

To reach for them now would be handing Sidious the fight. He could not afford to be distracted by attachments.

One by one, he let them go.

"No." Anakin stared Sidious down, an unusual calmness floating inside him, "Attachments are selfish. _Love is not."_

"Then you have learned nothing." Sidious declared, "Prepare to die."

Sidious swung his crimson blade towards Anakin, performing feats at levels Anakin could not believe. He moved with a swiftness that Anakin had never seen before, except with Master Yoda. His attacks were changing, wide and relentless, but also precise. Anakin found himself employing rather dusty Soresu tactics in an effort to keep himself alive.

Refusing to be beaten by such a trivial thing, he let himself sink into the Force. Trusting his instincts, he closed his eyes and gave himself to the Force, allowing it to dictate his actions and decide his fate.

He could see clearly now. The Darkness that had shrouded him – that had always shrouded him – was peeling away, much like what he had done to Sidious. It fell in large flakes until it revealed his centre, a shining beacon of Light.

A beacon of hope.

His eyes snapped open, and it was like Sidious was moving in slow motion. With a deft flick of his hand, Anakin disarmed Sidious. Then, as surprise flitted across his face, Anakin stepped in closer, and whispered in a low voice only Sidious could hear.

"Time to let go, you slimy bastard."

Anakin punctured Sidious's heart with his lightsaber, the humming sapphire blade shimmering on the mirroring walls. He felt Sidious' shock, felt him cling desperately to life, and ultimately, felt him die.

Both Anakin and Sidious fell, one into death, the other into life.

He had won.

* * *

Barely a moment after falling from exhaustion did Anakin clamber to his feet, wavering unsteadily as he realised just how much he had given to that fight. He could feel a throbbing in his side where Sidious' blade had sliced into him, and a trembling in his hands from the wave of electricity. Carefully, but quickly, he clambered onto the pod where Obi-Wan's body still lay motionless.

He sat by Obi-Wan, pulling his head into his lap. It felt so similar to the ending of their fight just a few short weeks ago, but this time, there was no happy ending. Obi-Wan was dead, and nothing he did was going to change that. He'd felt the Force change, felt the shift of another soul joining the already too large ranks of fallen Jedi.

He leaned into Obi-Wan's shoulder and let the tears fall. All this could have been for nothing, if everyone he cared about was dead. Ahsoka. Padme. Obi-Wan. They were gone, they must be.

"Anakin!"

He looked up. Framed in the doorway to the pod was his beautiful wife, hair ruffled and clothes rumpled and torn. She held a blaster in one hand, which slowly dropped to her side as she took in the scene.

"Oh Anakin." She carefully picked her way across the pod to him, and dropped to the floor beside him. "Is he…?"

Anakin nodded, too choked up to reply. Padme gave a small cry and wrapped her arms around Anakin, sharing in his grief.

"Ahsoka?" He finally mumbled.

"She's fine. She's looking after Master Fisto." Good. At least she wouldn't find them here, like this.

"I should have held on." Anakin muttered, "I shouldn't have let him go."

Padme shook her head sadly, "Obi-Wan makes his own choices Anakin. You should honour his bravery."

He knew he should. With a sigh, he relinquished the one small thing he held onto, the end of the bond he shared with Obi-Wan, and released it into the Force. As if he could see it, he titled his head upwards, watching the imaginary bond disappear, and then frowned.

The Force shook, like a high level earthquake. He could feel it crack and splinter, and panic swept through him. What now?

Then, it was gone, and in his confusion, Anakin almost missed the sudden jerk of Obi-Wan's body. He scuttled backwards slightly as a moan trailed from Obi-Wan's mouth – his own agape in shock.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes.

* * *

_~Part Seven~_

"I told you already Anakin. I'm fine."

"You're not fine Obi-Wan." Anakin insisted, "You _died!_ You came back to life!"

"And since then everything has been perfectly normal. I've no idea how it happened, or even _why_ it happened, but I'm fine."

Several weeks had passed since their devastating battle against Sidious. By some miracle, only Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin had perished. Kit Fisto was still in a coma, barely alive. Mace Windu had, only by the will of the Force, fallen into a passing speeder, and was getting used to his new prosthetic arm. Ahsoka had done her job well, clearing the Senate building of civilians whilst Anakin and Obi-Wan had fought Sidious. She had defended Padme against a small army of bounty hunters who had been sent by Sidious to ensure her death, and she had defeated them all only suffering a small blaster wound in the process. Of course, as soon as she was cleared for light duty, she was begging Anakin to spar with her in the dojo again, determined that he was going to teach her exactly _how_ he had defeated the Sith Lord.

Anakin hadn't. Instead, he had spent most of his time with Obi-Wan who had been recovering in the Healers. Apparently, whilst the Force had seen fit to bring him back, it hadn't seen fit to heal _all_ his injuries, and the result was one brand new scar across his upper back.

Anakin didn't care. He was just happy to have Obi-Wan back. The Council was, of course, in complete confusion over his revival, but as Mace Windu had finally said, "It's a gift from the Force."

Anakin was willing to accept that.

Even Yoda seemed happy, and on hearing of Anakin's trials during his fight with Sidious, had insisted on his promotion to the rank of Master. Obi-Wan heartily agreed, knowing that Anakin had finally conquered his fears, and won.

That had been Yoda's last act as Grandmaster. The old Jedi had realised that perhaps he had been holding the Order back for too long, and urged the Council to move in a new direction. Upon his recommendation, and with the support of the Council members, Mace Windu had been appointed the new Grandmaster of the Order. It was, of course, the logical choice, and Obi-Wan had hummed in agreement when he had heard.

More surprising was Mace Windu turning round and offering Anakin a seat on the Council. It was what Anakin had dreamed of, but to his own surprise, he had turned it down. He wasn't really ready to sit on the Council – not yet anyway – and besides, he wanted to concentrate on training his padawan now the war was over.

The war was indeed over – to a certain extent. Dooku and Grievous were still at large, but the droid army had fallen apart quickly without Sidious' help.

Anakin was still a Jedi, despite his marriage to Padme being common knowledge now. The Council was looking into altering the Code and allowing _love._

Anakin had made sure they understood the difference.

Now, he was arguing with Obi-Wan as they stood in the elevator on the way up to Padme's apartment, Ahsoka at their side. Obi-Wan wanted to return to full duty as soon as Master Che cleared him, but Anakin was insisting otherwise.

"Take a few weeks off, rest a little. You've earned it Master."

Obi-Wan sighed, "I can see that between you and Master Che I'm not going to hear the end of this until I agree. Which I will, so long as you do the same."

Anakin scowled playfully at him, "Alright. If it gets you to rest."

"Need I remind you who it was who actually defeated the Sith?" Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and Anakin scoffed but didn't reply as the doors slid open and revealed Padme dressed in a soft blue gown, her hair falling in natural curls over her shoulder. Anakin grinned and swept her into a twirling hug before pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers.

He heard fake gagging noises behind him and turned to see Ahsoka and Obi-Wan pulling faces at them. He glanced at Padme and they laughed.

Padme led them into the apartment and turned to face them, the light from the setting sun framing her face. She looked at them excitedly.

"I have some news for you all." She said, looking pointedly at Anakin, who in turned arched his eyebrows questioningly at her, "I know I probably should have told Anakin first, but since you were all coming here this evening I decided to tell all of you at once."

She drew in a deep breath before announcing, "I'm pregnant."

Ahsoka cheered. Obi-Wan clapped Anakin on the back and congratulated him. Anakin, in turn, simply stared at Padme in shock.

"You're…what…"

"You're going to be a father Ani." Padme smiled at him, and in that moment all Anakin could see was the universe, full of colours and planets and stars that shone just as bright as Padme.

In letting go, Anakin had found his peace at last. With his family and his friends, he would shape the galaxy.

The Chosen One had never shone so bright before.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow.
> 
> This took a lot out of me, but I'm mostly happy about it. There are parts that I know are just a bit OOC, but those are mostly the parts I had no inspiration whilst writing. This fic is a rather impressive 42 pages long on Word, which is actually just under half my entire document for Clone Wars Chronicles.
> 
> The idea of the promise that I introduced back in Part One was completely unintentional. It wasn't in my plans, but it appeared and suddenly I had a basis for this fic. I took a lot of inspiration from deleted scenes in ROTS and other fanfics I've read for a lot of the themes and ideas covered in here - the most notable being the difference between attachment and love that I first read about in Mirror and Image's Small Steps (It's a great read, I highly recommend it)
> 
> Without doubt, Part Five is one of my favourite pieces of writing. It's the only part I had fully planned, and I drew inspiration from Captain America: The Winter Solider because it breaks my damn heart every time. The scenes from Cody's POV are a little bonus that I wrote because I was inspired.
> 
> I'm also extremely sorry for everything I put Obi-Wan through. A lot of it I did on the fly, like killing him off in the final battle. Anakin needed a final push, and given that Obi-Wan was the only one present...well...I couldn't kill him off forever though, I'm far too attached.
> 
> I'm not totally happy with Part Seven because I wrapped everything up too nicely. Of course, the war would probably still be ongoing, but I kind of went 'hey this is a fix-it fic so lets have a super happy ending.' It's a fairytale ending, and it's nice to have something end happily for once!
> 
> I could go on and on about every little detail I crammed in here, but I won't because this note takes up valuable reading time. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this, and please do leave a comment if there's anything in here you want further info on/you spotted my not very subtle Easter Egg that I threw in a on whim.
> 
> Hehe.


End file.
